An instructive absurdity... By Waqar
31 January, 2013
I read with great relish Maryam Sakeenah's article titled 'An instructive absurdity' (Daily Times, January 27, 2013). In particular, I enjoyed the oxymoron "instructive absurdity" because, in general, absurdity can be anything but instructive: it is actually destructive or de-constructive. I want to draw the author's attention to three very important aspects of Tahirul Qadri's sit-in. She labelled it as a theatre of the absurd. First, I noticed, during the whole process, a certain order and control, which belies the absurdity of the whole phenomenon. Secondly, the whole drama was a violence-free performance. In the backdrop of the 'theatre of cruelty' that our country has so thoroughly become, the long march was certainly a peaceful demonstration. Thirdly, the audience of the 'performance' was more educated than the audience of many demonstrations/protests that are held across our country. This I can say on the basis of the responsible behaviour that these participants manifested throughout their stay under the canopy of the open sky. MUHAMMAD WAQAR AZEEM
Lahore
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